Rewriting the soap opera: From bar to bodywash in a social-first world

Nabila Jabeen Khan, Marketing Director and Business Unit Head for Personal Care at Unilever Bangladesh, spoke to The Business Standard about how Bangladesh's changing consumer landscape and social-first marketing are shaping the next chapter of personal care. With over 19 years of experience across South Asia and Europe, she has led businesses and brands in the FMCG and consumer health industries.  

From cleansing to self-care

Bangladesh is at an inflection point. With nearly half the population under 30, a young, digitally connected generation is reshaping personal care. Social media has exposed consumers to global beauty and wellness trends, elevating expectations beyond cleansing, hygiene, and fragrance. Today, especially among Gen Z, consumers increasingly seek skincare and self-care benefits from their cleansing products, making visible skin benefits an important driver of choice.

As urbanisation and shower-based lifestyles grow, bathing is evolving from a functional habit into a self-care ritual. With skincare becoming mainstream, bodywash is naturally emerging as the next step in consumers' beauty routines.

While Bangladesh's premiumisation journey mirrors trends seen in other markets, the speed has been remarkable. Bar soap still accounts for over 90% of the category, yet bodywash, virtually non-existent just a few years ago, is growing rapidly and has already penetrated 9% of urban households. The message is clear: consumers are increasingly seeking elevated experiences and are willing to trade up when offered meaningful, relevant benefits.

Today, we're leading the next transformation in personal wash: from bar to bodywash and from basic cleaning to skincare-led benifites.

Lux, Lifebuoy, Dove. Photo: TBS Illustration

From bar soap to bodywash

Unilever has long created markets, pioneered categories and shaped consumer habits for generations. Bar soaps are at the heart of Unilever's heritage. From William Lever's introduction of Sunlight Soap in 1884 in the UK to the production of Lux and Lifebuoy at Bangladesh's Kalurghat factory in the early 1960s, we've played a pioneering role in shaping cleansing habits. 

Today, we're leading the next transformation in personal wash: from bar to bodywash and from basic cleansing to skincare-led benefits. Since launching Lux Bodywash in 2022, we've built the category by offering superior sensorial experiences, fragrances, and skincare-inspired benefits that resonate with a new generation of consumers. We're now expanding that journey with Lifebuoy Bodywash, bringing freshness, protection, and premium cleansing to young adults.

Our ambition, however, goes beyond bar-to-liquid conversion. Most consumers still use bars, so we're elevating the entire category through innovations like Lux International Gluta Bars and Dove Serum Bars, making advanced skincare benefits accessible across formats.

Ultimately, this is about transforming personal wash from a hygiene routine into a self-care ritual, addressing Gen Z's growing desire for beauty benefits, elevated experiences, and healthier-looking skin in their everyday routines.

Bar soap still accounts for over 90% of Bangladesh's personal wash catagory, but bodywash, virtually non-existent just a few years ago, has already reached 9% of urban households, reflecting growing, demand for skincare-led cleansing and self-care experiences

Why social-first marketing matters

Marketing has entered a new era: the democratisation of technology has profoundly shifted how people connect, creating entirely new ways for brands to engage with them. Brands are no longer built solely through traditional advertising; they are shaped through conversations, creator communities, and cultural moments.

At Unilever, social is not just a communication channel; it is a demand-generation engine. Our approach is simple: listen to culture, identify what matters to consumers, and create experiences they genuinely want to engage with. We continuously listen to emerging trends and work with creators to turn cultural moments into brand experiences people want to participate in and share.

This approach has delivered strong results. During Eid, for example, the Lux Glowverse Experience Zone combined beauty, self-expression, and content creation, generating over 10 million organic views in just two days. Similarly, during Pohela Boishakh, Lux's lilac-themed celebration of Magical Orchid bodywash stood out in a sea of red and white, driving more than 60 million organic views through creator-led storytelling. The same approach came to life through Lifebuoy's FIFA World Cup partnership, tapping into one of the biggest cultural moments of 2026. By drawing on the passion and conversations surrounding the tournament, the campaign generated more than 300 pieces of content, over 2 million mentions, and 182 million views, demonstrating how social-first marketing can transform cultural relevance into large-scale engagement and brand demand.

Ultimately, social-first marketing is not about creating more content. It is about creating relevance. When brands earn a meaningful role in culture, engagement becomes demand and conversations become growth.

A personal mission to lead the transformation

When I joined Unilever Bangladesh in 2019 as Category Head of Skin Cleansing, the category was still largely dominated by traditional bar soaps. My focus was on accelerating growth through strengthening iconic brands like Lux and Lifebuoy through large-scale consumer programs and impactful communication. I led initiatives such as Lifebuoy's School of 5 and helped refresh our core brand propositions to keep them relevant for a new generation of consumers.

Over the past seven years, I've had the privilege of helping shape a major category transformation. As the market evolved from basic cleansing to beauty, skincare, and self-care, we built a scaled premium portfolio through innovations such as Lux Bodywash, Lux International Gluta bar, Dove Serum bar, and Lifebuoy Bodywash. Today, as Personal Care Business Unit Head, I lead both the Skin Cleansing and Oral Care businesses, focused on unlocking the next wave of growth.

Brand building has transformed just as dramatically. Having worked in beauty and wellbeing, I witnessed the growing influence of culture, creators, and communities on consumer choice. Bringing those learnings into Skin Cleansing, we shifted from mass communication to social-first demand generation, creating participation and cultural relevance rather than simply broadcasting messages.

In many ways, my journey mirrors the category's evolution: from bars to bodywash, from mass media to social-first engagement, and from functional cleansing to brands that deliver beauty, self-care, and meaningful experiences.